Airflow guiding member and air duct with airflow guiding member

ABSTRACT

The air duct comprises a body and at least an airflow guiding member. The airflow guiding member is detachably configured in a slot outlet of the body. The airflow guiding member comprises a guiding ditch with a receiving section, a regulating section, and a guiding section. An airflow flowing in the body is received by the receiving section into the regulating section and then thrusts out of the body after sequentially compressed by the regulating and guiding sections. An air wall is as such formed above the body to confine the pollutants dispersed in the air.

(a) TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to an airflow guiding member and an air duct with the airflow guiding member, and more particular to an airflow guiding member capable of forming a planar air wall (or air curtain) for the containment of pollutants in the air and an air duct with the airflow guiding member.

(b) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In a working environment full with pollutants such as smoke, solder, organic solvent, lead, powder, or specific chemical material, exhaust (or dust-collecting) devices are installed around the work station so as to remove the pollutants and to prevent the hazard to operators' health. A conventional and common exhaust device is an exhaust fan on top of the work station such as the range hood on top of furnaces or the exhaust fan on top of an experiment table, so that the pollutants dispersed above the work station are drawn into the exhaust fan and removed. However, for this type of configuration, as there is a sizable distance between the exhaust fan and the work station, the capture efficiency of the exhaust fan is compromised as the pollutants are diffused to the side ways, or by the environment's crosswind. The working environment is therefore filled with pollutants.

To resolve the problem, the present inventor has provided a smoke guiding machine in U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,144. The smoke guiding machine includes a front machine, and left and right machines connected in parallel to the two opposite ends of the front machine. When the smoke guiding machine is installed on the work station, the front, left, and right machines surround a working area on the work station. Inside the front, left, and right machines, motors and squirrel-cages are configured. A number of inlets are configured on the lateral sides, and a number of outlets are configured on the top sides of the casings of the front, left, and right machines. The motors drive the squirrel-cages to spin, and outside air enters the machines from the inlets and exits from the outlets, thereby forming an invisible (transparent) air curtain between the work station and the exhaust fan around the working area. The pollutants above the work station are as such contained within the working area. The capture efficiency of the exhaust fan is enhanced as the pollutants are prevented from diffusing to the side ways, or from the environment's crosswind.

Even though the above smoke guiding machine has resolved the pollutant containment problem, the smoke guiding machine has a rather complicated structure, is difficult to a certain degree to manufacture, and the production cost cannot be effectively reduced. Therefore, there is another type of smoke guiding machine using fans to replace the squirrel-cages. The front, left, and right machines are extruded hollow tubes so as to form connected air ducts inside the machines. The fans are configured at the ends of the left and right machines opposite to the ends joined to the front machine. After the fans are activated, airflows are produced to flow from the left and right machines into the front machine. During the machines' extrusion process, a number of guiding holes are also punched on top of the air duct structures of the machines as the outlets so that airflows in the air ducts can flow upward out of the smoke guiding machine and form air curtains around the working area between the work station and the exhaust fan.

The extruded air duct structures are simpler in manufacturing relative to the smoking guiding machines using squirrel-cages. However, working out guiding holes of proper gaps, dimensions, and directions on the air ducts has a certain degree of difficulty. The resulted higher production cost is still an issue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention provides an airflow guiding member and an air duct with the airflow guiding member so as to obviate the problems of the conventional smoke guiding machine such as the air duct's complex structure, difficulty in assembly and in working out guiding holes of proper gaps, dimensions, and directions on an extruded air duct, and the resulted higher production cost to the air duct.

The present invention discloses an air duct applied on a smoke guiding machine having at least a fan module for producing an airflow. The air duct comprises a body and at least an airflow guiding member. The body has a slot outlet configured on the body along an axial direction of the body, and a passage inside the body connected to the slot outlet. The airflow flows through the passage. The airflow guiding member is detachably configured in the slot outlet. The airflow guiding member comprises a guiding ditch with a receiving section, a regulating section, and a guiding section. The regulating section is connected between the receiving and guiding sections. The receiving section has a greater width than that of the regulating section, which in turn has a greater width than that of the guiding section. The airflow is received by the receiving section into the regulating section and then thrusts out of the body after sequentially compressed by the regulating and guiding sections.

The present invention further discloses an airflow guiding member configured in a slot outlet of an air duct. The air duct has an airflow inside, and the airflow flows outside the air duct through the airflow guiding member. The airflow guiding member is characterized in that the airflow guiding member is detachably configured in the slot outlet; the airflow guiding member comprises a guiding ditch with a receiving section, a regulating section, and a guiding section; the regulating section is connected between the receiving and guiding sections; the receiving section has a greater width than that of the regulating section, which in turn has a greater width than that of the guiding section; the airflow is received by the receiving section into the regulating section and then thrusts out of the air duct after sequentially compressed by the regulating and guiding sections.

The function and effect of the present invention are described as follow. By having guiding ditches on the airflow guiding member and having the airflow guiding member detachably configured on the body, the manufacturing and assembly of the air duct is simplified. The higher cost due to the difficulty in working out guiding holes on extruded air ducts is as such avoided. Additionally, as the width of the guiding ditch is gradually reduced from the receiving section, through the regulating section, and to the guiding section, the airflow uniformly flows out of the body with an increased speed to form a planar air wall to confine pollutants in the air.

The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective breakdown diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional breakdown diagram showing an air duct of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional diagram showing an air duct of the first embodiment of the present invention after its assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram showing airflow guiding members according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic planar diagram showing airflow guiding members according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side-view diagram showing airflow guiding members according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective diagram showing an application scenario of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram showing an application scenario of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective diagram showing an application scenario of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional breakdown diagram showing an air duct of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional diagram showing an air duct of the fourth embodiment of the present invention after its assembly.

FIG. 11 is a perspective diagram showing an application scenario of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the air ducts 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention are applied to a smoke guiding machine 1. The smoke guiding machine 1 contains a number of air ducts 10, a control member 20, and two corner members 30. The air ducts 10 are connected two opposite ends of the control member 20, respectively. The two corner members 30 are arranged at the two sides of the control member 20, each connecting two air ducts 10, so that an included angle is formed between the two air ducts 10 at the same side to the control member 20, and the two air ducts 10 are as such positioned laterally and perpendicularly relative to the control member 20, respectively. The control member 20 is electrically connected to an external power source (not shown), and contains a control panel 210 and a control circuit (not shown) inside the control member 20 electrically connected to the control panel 210. Each corner member 30 is configured with a number of air inlets 310, and there are two fans 40 inside the corner member 30, each positioned adjacent to one of the two air ducts 10 joined by the corner member 30. The fans 40 are electrically connected to the control circuit in the control member 20, and as such are controlled by the control member 20 to produce an airflow through the two air ducts 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, each air duct 10 contains a body 110 and a number of airflow guiding members 120. The body 110 is a hollow tube having an internal passage 111 for air to flow through, and is configured with a slot outlet 112 arranged along the axial direction on the surface of the body 110 so that the passage 111 is exposed.

The airflow guiding members 120 are integrally formed, for example, of a plastic material by injection molding. The airflow guiding members 120 are detachably configured along the slot outlets 112 of the bodies 110. Each airflow guiding member 120 contains a main element 121, a panel 122, and a guiding ditch 123. The main element 121 contains a support part 1211 and a joining part 1212. The panel 122 is configured on a side of the support part 1211 opposite to the joining part 1212. The width of the panel 122 is greater than that of the support part 1211 so that the panel 122 is extended beyond at least a side edge of the support part 1211. The width of the support part 1211 is compatible with that of the slot outlet 112, and is greater than that of the joining part 1212. Therefore, when an airflow guiding member 120 is configured in a slot outlet 112, its main element 121 is plugged into the slot outlet 112, its panel 122 has the edge extended beyond the support part 1211 against the body 110, and the main element 121 is as such suspended inside the body 110.

The guiding ditch 123 is configured along the axial direction of the body 110 on the airflow guiding member 120, and penetrates through the airflow guiding member 120 along the radial direction of the body 110. The guiding ditch 123 has a receiving section 1231, a regulating section 1232, and a guiding section 1233. The regulating section 1232 is connected between the receiving section 1231 and the guiding section 1233. The receiving section 1231 and the regulating section 1232 are perpendicular to the axle of the body 110. The guiding section 1233 can, but is not limited to, be slant to the regulating section 1232. The receiving section 1231 correspondingly penetrates the joining part 1212 of the main element 121, the regulating section 1232 correspondingly penetrates the support part 1211 of the main element 121, and the guiding section 122 correspondingly penetrates the panel 122. The regulating section 1232 can, but is not limited to, be formed by a number of channels 1234 arranged at intervals in the support part 1211 as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the regulating section 1232 can be an elongated trough through the support part 1211 similar to the receiving and guiding sections 231 and 1233. In addition, the receiving section 1231 has a greater width than that of the regulating section 1232, which in turn has a greater width than that of the guiding section 1233. Furthermore, the width of the receiving section 1231 is gradually reduced towards to the regulating section 1232 so that the guiding ditch 123 has a nozzle-like structure on the airflow guiding member 120.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, a number of airflow guiding members 120 are end-to-end arranged in series along the body 110's axial direction in the slot outlet 120, thereby forming an airflow guiding device 130 whose length is compatible with that of the slot outlet 112. Depending on their locations in the slot outlet 120, the airflow guiding members 120 have either a bulge 124 and/or a notch 125 such as a dovetailed notch corresponding to the bulge 124 so that two adjacent airflow guiding members 120 can have one's bulge 124 embedded into the other's notch 125 to achieve the end-to-end connection as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In addition, each airflow guiding member 120 has at least a through hole 1213 on the support part 1211 along the axial direction of the body 110 (i.e., along the length of the main element 121) penetrating the support part 1211. Therefore, when the airflow guiding members 120 are arranged in series, their through holes 1213 can be threaded through by an axial rod 126 so that the airflow guiding members 120 are joined into an elongated airflow guiding device 130 as shown in FIG. 5. The axial rod 126 provides support to the airflow guiding members 120 so as to enhance the structural strength of the airflow guiding device 130. The axial rod 126 has a textured structure 1261 at one end so as to increase the axial rod 126's friction in the through hole 1213 and to prevent the axial rod 126 from falling out of the through hole 1213. The ways that the airflow guiding members 120 are series-connected described above are only exemplary, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Other similar ways of connecting the airflow guiding members 120 should be considered within the scope of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, to prevent air from escaping through the gap between two adjacent airflow guiding members 120, one of the adjacent airflow guiding members can have a joining region 1214 of its support part 1211 exposed by reducing the length of the panel 122, and the other airflow guiding member 120 can have its panel 122 on the support part 1211 extended to form an extension piece 1221. As such, when the two adjacent airflow guiding members 120 are connected, one's extension piece 1221 is attached to the other's joining region 1214 and the gap between the airflow guiding members 120 is sealed. The air flowing through the body 110 is as such guided outside of the body 110 only through the guiding ditch 123.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2B, and 6, the smoking guiding apparatus 1 is placed on a work station 5 where pollutants are produced, such as on a chemical experiment table or on a kitchen counter. As an example of the present embodiment, the smoke guiding machine 1 is positioned on a kitchen counter where the smoke guiding machine 1 has the air ducts 10 surrounding a working area 520 on the work station 5 with furnaces 510 within the working area 520. A range hood 6 is configured correspondingly over the working area 520. The airflow guiding members 120 in the air ducts 10 have the guiding sections 1233 of the guiding ditches 123 aimed slantwise towards the working area 520. Through the control panel 210 of the control member 20, the fans 40 are activated to produce an airflow through the passages 111 of the bodies 110. The airflow flows in a turbulent form to the airflow guiding members 120 and, as the width of the receiving sections 1231 shrink towards the regulating sections 1232, is converged to the receiving sections 1231. As the airflow flows through the regulating sections 1232 through the receiving sections 1231, it is transformed into laminated flows of uniform speeds by the internal structure of the regulating sections 1232. The airflow then flows outside of the bodies 110 through the guiding sections 1233.

Due to the nozzle-like structure of the guiding ditches 123 described above, the airflow is compressed and speeded up as it flows sequentially through the regulating section 1232 and the guiding section 1233. The airflow as such thrusts slantwise out of the body 110 to form a planar air wall (or air curtain) around the working area 520. The smoke (i.e., pollutant) produced by the furnaces 510 is therefore confined between the working area 520 and the range hood 6, effectively preventing the smoke from spreading or from being drafted by external current into the outside of the working area 520. The capture efficiency of the range hood 6 is thereby enhanced and people's health will not be affected by pervasive smoke.

The air ducts disclosed by the present invention utilizes the nozzle-like structures of the airflow guiding members' guiding ditches to eject airflow uniformly with increased speed from the airflow guiding members to form planar air walls within which the pollutants are confined. Different numbers of airflow guiding members can be cascaded to meet the various lengths of different bodies, thereby enhancing the assembly flexibility and convenience. In addition, due to the detachable configuration of the airflow guiding members to the bodies, the manufacturing and assembly of the air ducts are simplified. The higher cost due to the difficulty in working out guiding holes on extruded air ducts is as such avoided.

In addition to the installation of the air ducts on top of the counter of a work station as described above, the smoke guiding machine can also be installed below the counter. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the air ducts 10 of a second embodiment of the present invention have the width of their joining parts 1212 compatible with that of the slot outlets 1212 so that the airflow guiding members 120 can have their joining parts 1212 plugged into the slot outlets 112 and the support parts 1211 are extended above the bodies 110, thereby forming a gap matching the depth of the work station's counter. Therefore, the bodies 110 can be first configured beneath the counter of the work station 5. Then, the joining parts 1212 of the airflow guiding members 120 are plugged into the slot outlets 112 with the panels 122 against the work station 5's counter top. The counter of the work station 5 is as such sandwiched between the panels 122 and the bodies 110, achieving a clean and simple appearance for the counter of the work station 5.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the air ducts 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention are similar structure-wise to those of the first embodiment. The difference is that, in the present third embodiment, the smoke guiding machine 1 has linearly arranged air ducts 10. The smoke guiding machine 1 can be installed around the furnaces 510 in a restaurant as shown in FIG. 9. The air ducts 10 can, but are not limited to, have the dimensions of the main elements 121 of the air guiding members 120 compatible with those of the slot outlets 112 of the bodies 110. In other words, each air duct 10 is composed of a single airflow guiding member 120 and body 110. The air flowing inside the body 110 is guided to form a planar air wall through the guiding ditch 123 around the furnaces 510 so as to contain the pollutants.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 11, the air ducts 10 of a fourth embodiment is structurally similar to the previous third embodiment. Only their difference is described as follows. The body 110 has a trough 113 on each edge bordering the slot outlet 112 along the axial direction of the body 110. The width of the troughs 113 is compatible with that of the panels 122. Therefore, when an airflow guiding member 120 is joined to a body 110, the two opposing sides of the panel 122 extending beyond the main element 121 are plugged into and locked in the troughs 113 of the body 110. The airflow guiding member 120 is as such reliably joined to the body 110, preventing its falling off from the slot outlet 112 of the body 110.

In addition to the smoke guiding machine 1's upward blowing configurations to form planar air walls as described above, the smoke guiding machine 1 can also be applied in downward blowing configurations such as the installation on the top side of a frame 7 of the doors to a department store, restaurant, or mall to produce a planar air wall. The pollutants dispersed in the air are as such blocked outside and the cleanness of the air inside is maintained.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 

I claim:
 1. An air duct applied on a smoke guiding machine having at least a fan module for producing an airflow, comprising: a body having a slot outlet configured on the body along an axial direction of the body, and a passage inside the body connected to the slot outlet wherein the airflow flows through the passage; and at least an airflow guiding member detachably configured in the slot outlet wherein the airflow guiding member comprises a guiding ditch with a receiving section, a regulating section, and a guiding section; the regulating section is connected between the receiving and guiding sections; the receiving section has a greater width than that of the regulating section, which in turn has a greater width than that of the guiding section; the airflow is received by the receiving section into the regulating section and then thrusts out of the body after sequentially compressed by the regulating and guiding sections.
 2. The air duct according to claim 1, wherein the guiding ditch is configured on the airflow guiding member along the axial direction of the body, and penetrates through the airflow guiding member along a radial direction of the body; the receiving and regulating sections are perpendicular to an axle of the body; and the guiding section is slant to the regulating section.
 3. The air duct according to claim 1, wherein the airflow guiding member further comprises a main element and a panel; the panel is configured on the main element; the guiding ditch penetrates through the main element with the guiding section penetrates through the panel; the main element's width is compatible with that of the slot outlet; the panel's width is greater than that of the slot outlet; and the airflow guiding member has its main element plugged into the slot outlet and its panel joined to the body.
 4. The air duct according to claim 1, wherein the airflow guiding member further comprises a joining part and a support part; the receiving section penetrates through the joining part; the regulating and guiding sections penetrate through the support part; the joining part has a width compatible with that of the slot outlet; the support part has a width greater than that of the slot outlet; and the airflow guiding member has the joining part embedded in the slot outlet, and the support part against the air duct.
 5. The air duct according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of airflow guiding members arranged in the slot outlet along the axial direction of the body.
 6. The air duct according to claim 5, wherein, for two adjacent airflow guiding members of the plural airflow guiding members, one has a bulge and the other has a notch compatible to the bulge; and the two adjacent airflow guiding members are connected by having one's bulge embedded into the other's notch.
 7. The air duct according to claim 1, wherein the airflow guiding member further comprises at least a through hole and an axial rod; the through hole is configured on the airflow guiding member along the axial direction of the body; and the axial rod is threaded through the through hole.
 8. An airflow guiding member configured in a slot outlet of an air duct, the air duct having an airflow inside, the airflow flowing outside the air duct through the airflow guiding member, wherein the airflow guiding member is characterized in that: the airflow guiding member is detachably configured in the slot outlet; the airflow guiding member comprises a guiding ditch with a receiving section, a regulating section, and a guiding section; the regulating section is connected between the receiving and guiding sections; the receiving section has a greater width than that of the regulating section, which in turn has a greater width than that of the guiding section; the airflow is received by the receiving section into the regulating section and then thrusts out of the air duct after sequentially compressed by the regulating and guiding sections.
 9. The airflow guiding member according to claim 8, further comprising a main element and a panel; the panel is configured on the main element; the guiding ditch penetrates through the main element with the guiding section penetrates through the panel; the main element's width is compatible with that of the slot outlet; the panel's width is greater than that of the slot outlet; and the airflow guiding member has its main element plugged into the slot outlet and its panel joined to the air duct.
 10. The airflow guiding member according to claim 8, further comprising a joining part and a support part; wherein the receiving section penetrates through the joining part; the regulating and guiding sections penetrate through the support part; the joining part has a width compatible with that of the slot outlet; the support part has a width greater than that of the slot outlet; and the airflow guiding member has the joining part embedded in the slot outlet, and the support part against the air duct. 